LeBron says Bronny’s USC debut to take precedence over Lakers game،
OKLAHOMA CITY – LeBron James is so excited to see his oldest son Bronny make his college basketball debut that the Los Angeles Lakers will have to take a back seat to the USC Trojans if it happens.
“Whenever he’s cleared and ready to play his first game, I’ve already told my teammates that if they play the same day as us, I’ll have to catch them in the next game,” James said after the Lakers game. 133-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. “Family first… But I definitely have to see Bronny’s first game whenever he’s cleared and ready to go.”
The Lakers ended their road trip 2-2 with the loss, blowing a 14-point lead in the process, but it was hard to cloud James’ mind the day it was announced that Bronny had been cleared by doctors to a full return to basketball with USC.
The 19-year-old freshman, who suffered cardiac arrest during a team practice in July and underwent successful surgery to repair what the James family called a probable congenital heart defect, does not has yet to appear in a game for the 5-2 Trojans. .
Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell jokingly groaned in dismay when James revealed the possibility of missing a Lakers game to see his son make his debut. However, Davis told reporters afterward that the two team captains had discussed the plan during a recent team flight and that the 38-year-old had the full support of the locker room.
Bronny will undergo a final evaluation by USC staff this week, begin practicing next week and return to games shortly thereafter, a spokesperson for the James family said in a statement Thursday.
There are a handful of dates coming up over the next couple of months where the teams’ schedules overlap:
December 28 – Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets; USC at Oregon
December 30 – Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves; USC at Oregon State
January 3 – Lakers vs. Miami Heat; USC vs. California
January 13 – Lakers at Utah Jazz; USC at Colorado
January 17 – Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks; USC at Arizona
January 27 – Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors; USC vs. UCLA
“Just a proud moment,” James said of his son continuing to move toward a comeback. “Great excitement from our family for Bronny. And for USC as well. This is something he’s been working on for 12 weeks. And for him to get permission to do what he loves to do and getting back to being with your teammates and putting on a uniform and things like that, it’s pretty rewarding, that’s for sure.”
Things are looking less optimistic for James’ Lakers team, which lost both games on the road trip to Philadelphia and Oklahoma City by a combined 67 points. The Lakers fell to 11-9 overall, approaching the quarter mark of the 82-game regular season schedule.
However, injuries continue to challenge the team – five projected rotation players: Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel), Gabe Vincent (left knee), Cam Reddish (right groin), Jaxson Hayes (left elbow) and Rui Hachimura (nasal fracture). were unavailable against the Thunder – the team needs to be whole before we can understand how the pieces fit together or not.
“It’s impossible to make an assessment,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of the season so far.
But Bronny’s update is a reminder of the bigger picture for a team that has its own big goals this season.
“It’s amazing, man,” Ham said. “I’m so happy for him and their family.”
